News
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Reaction to Measles Outbreak Raises Informed-Consent Issues
Opinion -Government imposed fines, jail time and other measures to increase measles vaccination rates is calling into question the wisdom and ethics behind such measures. -
Illinois Considers Creating Board to Reject Insurance Price Increases
Opinion -The Illinois House passed a bill that would authorize the state’s Department of Insurance to reject health insurance price increases it deems unreasonable. -
Organization Spreads Pro-Freedom Ideas in Medical Schools
Opinion -In a time when 51 percent of millennials say they have a positive view of socialism, there is an organization spreading the word of free markets and capitalism in one of the sectors most vulnerable to government command and control: health care. -
CMS Offers Flat-Fee Payment Model for Medicare Providers
Opinion -The Trump administration is trying to help lower Medicare costs by offering primary care doctors a flat fee instead of the fee-for-service model currently in place. -
Study: Short-Term, Limited-Duration Health Insurance Provides Good Option
Opinion -Contrary to what some politicians say, short-term limited duration health insurance (STLDI) is not “junk insurance” but an attractive option for a large number of people and won’t undermine the Affordable Care Act (ACA) exchanges, a new report says. -
Louisiana Senate Approves Obamacare Replacement Plan
Opinion -An Obamacare replacement plan passed unanimously in the Louisiana Senate and is expected to clear the House and head to the governor’s desk. -
Restaurants Impose Customer Surcharge for Employee Health Care
Opinion -Restaurants around the country are now adding surcharges to diners’ checks to pay for sick leave and health insurance for their employees. -
Texas, North Carolina, Consider Expanding Lifesaving Drug Access
Opinion -As terminally ill patients exhaust approved options for treatments that could extend or save lives, Texas and North Carolina are taking steps to expand access for citizens suffering from serious chronic illnesses. -
Louisiana Lawmakers Seek to Crack Down on Medicaid Fraud after Audit Shows Enrollment Abuse
Opinion -Louisiana lawmakers are pushing forward several bills in response to an audit of the state’s Medicaid program which resulted in the removal of 30,000 people from rolls because they earned too much money. -
Trump Administration Expands Options for Health Reimbursement Arrangements
Opinion -The Trump administration approved a new rule that gives businesses more options in providing health care coverage to their employees through Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA). -
California Becomes First State to Provide Free Health Care to Adults in the U.S. Illegally
Opinion -California will become the first state in the nation to offer full-scale Medicaid benefits to low-income adults regardless of U.S. citizenship, under a new budget deal inked on June 9. -
White House, Congress Enter Fray Over Surprise Billing
Opinion -Widespread anger among patients over surprise medical bills has triggered bipartisan legislation in several states and in Congress, and now the Trump White House is pushing its own plan to address this sticky problem facing the $3.5 billion U.S. health-ca -
Medicaid Expansion in Kansas Averted
Opinion -The Kansas State Legislature adjourned for the year after deciding not to expand Medicaid coverage to as many as 150,000 additional residents in the state. -
Family Planning Pilot Program Wants No Government Funding
Opinion -The organization behind a program to provide free health care to underserved women says it has no interest in federal grant money because it wants to deliver its family planning message without government intrusion. -
Tennessee General Assembly Passes ‘Right to Shop’ Price Transparency Bill
Opinion -The Tennessee General Assembly passed a Right to Shop bill intended to help consumers find out the true cost of the medical services they receive. -
Texas House Bill Pushes ER Insurance Network Transparency
Opinion -The Texas State Legislature is considering a bill that would require freestanding emergency rooms (ERs), those separated from hospitals, to post notice of the health benefit plans for which the facility is an in-network provider. -
North Carolina Senate Rejects Medicaid Expansion
Opinion -A rarely used state Senate rule and growing concerns over the potential cost of providing health care to tens of thousands of additional low-income residents in North Carolina stymied efforts to enact Medicaid expansion in this year’s legislative session. -
Upcoming Medicare Insolvency Poses Big Challenges for Government, Individuals
Opinion -Medicare’s assets will be depleted by 2026, the 2019 Medicare Board of Trustees Annual Report states. -
Georgia Pares Back CON Laws
Opinion -After some back and forth in the Georgia General Assembly, Gov. Brian Kemp signed into law significant reforms to the state’s Certificate of Need (CON) process. -
HHS Changes Family Planning Grant Rules to Allow More Providers
Opinion -The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) made revisions to the rules on Title X funding to give low-income women more options for health care and family planning services. -
Florida Removes Certificate of Need Laws
Opinion -Health care consumers in Florida could soon be entering a new era of choice and competition as the state legislature has passed a bill eliminating much of the state’s certificate of need (CON) laws. -
More Doctors Choosing Hospitals over Private Practices
Opinion -Physicians are increasingly leaving private practices to join hospital networks, states a new report from the Physicians Advocacy Institute. -
More States Consider Regulation to Curb Surprise Medical Bills
Opinion -Following Arizona’s lead, Georgia, Texas, and Washington State are considering bans or mandated arbitration and price transparency in response to consumer complaints about surprise medical bills from out-of-network providers. -
Oklahoma Seeks Medicaid Audit
Opinion -Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt requested an audit of the state’s Medicaid program to determine whether enrollees meet federal eligibility requirements.
